Bumper harvest expected as Pabna’s litchi season begins

Two hours, 2000 litchis sold. Fruit trader Md Nasir felt like he struck gold after selling his entire stock at the Indara Mor of Pabna town at approximately 2:00pm on Thursday.

Another trader, Jasim Uddin, sold 4,000 litchis by that evening at the same footpath market.

​“Litchis have just hit the Pabna market for the first time this season, so there is high demand from customers keenly waiting for a taste of the season’s first fruit. Since traders brought only small quantities, we all sold out within a few hours,” said Jasim.

​During a visit to the footpath market on Thursday afternoon, the local "Mozaffar" variety was retailing for Tk 300 per hundred. However, most litchis currently available are quite sour. Harvested before they are fully ripe, these litchis have very little flesh.

​“As it’s the first fruit of the season, I bought 50 litchis, but they are very expensive relative to their quality and taste,” said Md Shahidur Rahman, a college teacher.

​Traders, however, noted that prices are already lower than last year and are expected to become even more affordable due to a bumper harvest.

​“Last year, we bought early varieties from farmers for over Tk 300 per hundred. This year, we are getting them for Tk 250,” said Md Nasir Uddin, a seasonal trader. He explained that the local variety (Mozaffar/Ati litchi) is harvested early in Ishwardi and adjoining areas, making it the first to hit the market.

​Nasir added that the harvest will begin in full swing next week, bringing the price down further.

“Once the massive harvest begins, a hundred local litchis will be available for under Tk 300,” he said.

​Traders noted that while poor production last year forced prices for low-quality fruit above Tk 300 per hundred, this year, the superior Hybrid and Bombay varieties are expected to retail for around Tk 400 per hundred once the peak harvest begins.

​Despite heavy losses over the last few years, growers in Pabna are expecting a record-breaking yield, thanks to favourable weather.

​“This year, we saw maximum blooming. Because nor'westers (seasonal storms) did not cause damage, we have the highest production ever. Most of the fruit developed properly,” said Mehedi Hasan, a farmer and trader from Shahapur village.

He noted that while trees usually yield 5,000 to 6,000 litchis, he expects 8,000 to 10,000 per tree this year.

​Md Rakibul Islam of Silimpur village said, "Over 50 of my 70 trees are full of juicy summer fruit. I am expecting a total yield of 3.5 lakh litchis," He added that while the local variety harvest begins next week, the Bombay and Hybrid varieties will be ready after Eid-ul-Adha.

​Rakib has already sold the rights to his local variety trees at a rate of Tk 1,500 per thousand fruits. He expects the Bombay and China-3 varieties to fetch between Tk 1,800 and Tk 2,000 per thousand.

"Last year, I only had 18 to 20 trees with fruit, and seasonal traders weren't even interested. This year, they are rushing to compete for the trees," Rakib recalled.

​According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Pabna, 4,620 hectares have been dedicated to litchi cultivation this year, with over 3,000 hectares in Ishwardi alone.

Md Shah Alam, a development section officer at DAE Pabna, noted that 2025 saw the lowest production in a decade at 34,898 metric tonnes, compared to 46,790 metric tonnes in 2024.

​"We usually see a yield of 10 metric tonnes per hectare, but this year we expect at least 11 metric tonnes due to healthy blooms," Shah Alam said. "We anticipate total production exceeding 50,000 metric tonnes, provided there are no major natural disasters."

​Speaking with The Daily Star, Shajahan Ali Badsha, a pioneer litchi producer in Pabna, said litchi cultivation is the region’s primary economic driver.

​“Approximately Tk 500 crore worth of litchis are sold over two months in Pabna. This year, the business may exceed Tk 700 to 800 crore," Badsha said.